Growth of Hierarchical 3D Mesoporous NiSi x/NiCo2O4 Core/Shell Heterostructures on Nickel Foam for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

We demonstrate the facile and well-controlled design and fabrication of heterostructured and hierarchical 3D mesoporous NiSi _x/NiCo₂O₄ core/shell nanowire arrays on nickel foam through a facile chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique combined with a simple but powerful chemical bath deposition (CBD) technique. The smart hybridization of NiCo₂O₄ and NiSi _x nanostructures results in an intriguing mesoporous hierarchical core/shell nanowire-array architecture. The nanowire arrays demonstrate enhanced electrochemical performance as binder- and conductive-agent-free electrodes for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) with excellent capacity retention and high rate capability on cycling. The electrodes can maintain a high reversible capacity of 1693 mA h g⁻¹ after 50 cycles at 200 mA g⁻¹. Given the outstanding performance and simple, efficient, cost-effective fabrication, we believe that these 3D NiSi _x/NiCo₂O₄ core/shell heterostructured arrays have great potential application in high-performance LIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]